Fashion at UVM: Q&A

I caught up with sophomore Eva Mazura Oct. 4 to talk about clothes, self-expression and crocs. From Chicago, she can be seen around campus wearing all sorts of clothes: dull or colorful, baggy or tight, hip or old fashioned. She does it all. Cyrus Oswald

When we interviewed, she was wearing a black cropped top with an orange jacket and a pair of unique velvet pants. But that’s enough introduction, we’ll let her speak for herself.

Cyrus: So, what’s up with those pants?

Eva: I got them at the Urban Outfitters surplus store in Chicago. I was shopping with my friend and we were just picking out random pieces of clothing that we thought might look weird, good, funny or whatever. We saw these pants and were just laughing because they’re kinda weird. I tried them on and we both were like, “Whoa, these pants are really cool actually.” So I decided to buy them. And they were 10 dollars.

C: Did anything, besides the pants, inspire how you dressed today?

E: I really like these pants, so I put these pants on, and then I needed to put the boots on because the pants are a little bit long, so I needed to wear a heeled boot. I also needed a shorter shirt because the pants are high waisted, and then I needed a jacket because it’s kinda windy out. This jacket is also orange, which goes with the pants.

C: How much do you think about which clothes you’re going to wear on any given day?

E: Normally I pick out my clothes the night before, because if I pick them out in the morning, I usually have to change my outfit like five times, because I think, “This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong,” so I waste time which makes me late to classes.

C: What inspired you to dress the way you do?

E: I never used to dress how I do now. When I was younger, I was always scared to wear things I wanted to wear because I thought people would judge me, they would think, “Eva looks weird because she’s wearing that.” I thought way too much about that.

I never wore dresses or skirts before high school, unless I was going to something nice, and my mom told me I had to wear nice clothes, okay mom. But then I got tired of feeling bad when I went shopping and feeling bad and seeing all these things that I wanted to wear but I couldn’t because I thought people would judge me. I stopped thinking about it as much; I figured I needed to push myself to overcome my fear of being judged and just wear things you want to wear. Over time, as I’ve don’t that more and more, I’ve become more confident in my clothing. If I see something I like, I try it on, maybe buy it, and then I’ll wear it.

C: Do you think you can tell anything about a personality by the way someone dresses?

E: I think you can, but, only like after you get to know them a bit. I think a lot of people wear what they see other people wearing and they wear things they’re comfortable in, but it’s not necessarily a reflection of who they are. But once you get to know them, you can really find out if they’re the type of person who really follows trends or if they’re the type of person who doesn’t express themselves so much. You can get to know them through their fashion once you really know them as a person.

C: What would you consider to be your personal style?

E: It changes a lot. Some days I have a weird outfit, sometimes I’m just wearing sweatpants. I guess my personal style is fluid. I think it really depends on the weather and my mood.

C: Finally, what are your thoughts on socks and crocs?

E: Looks really funny. The other day I was at the beach, and I saw someone wearing yellow crocs with socks, and they were walking in the sand. I thought to myself, “Hmm. What’s that life choice?” But if that’s what makes you happy and comfortable in life, go for it.